Kia Ora!

We have begun our travels in New Zealand. Our ability to be flexible in our travels was tested right off the bat, when our flight from Denver arrived to Los Angeles too late for us to make our connecting flight. So our first night of foreign travel was spent in the not-so-foreign (though some might argue otherwise) city of Los Angeles (on United Airlines' dime). We actually had a nice day walking around Manhattan Beach & reminded ourselves that flexibility is everything on a trip like this.

The next night, we were off & have been enjoying the beauty of New Zealand ever since. We picked up Ernest, our trusty "spaceship" (known to pretty much everyone else as a campervan) in Auckland & set off for the Bay of Islands, a beautiful spot north of Auckland. From there, we headed south and spent the past few days in Tongariro National Park, hiking on what they(whomever "they" are) dub one of the world's best one-day hikes. It truly was an excellent hike. The weather was a bit cloudy & drizzly, but it didn't dampen our spirits at all. Tongariro was also the location for much of the Lord of the Rings filming; take a look at the pictures below for a shot of "Mount Doom" and a few others. Next we're off to Napier & Wellington, and then we'll head down to the South Island. Stay tuned for another entry soon...

Our trusty "spaceship," Ernest, parked amongst all his friends - New Zealand's version of a "quiet holiday park."

Ernest, after Sarah's first experience with driving on the lefthand side of the road. Behind Ernest, the very nice mechanic who hammered out our rim for $20 NZ & sent us back on our way.

And, because we believe in second chances...

"Mount Doom," aka Ngauruhoe Volcano. Our hike took us through the saddle to the left of the volcano.